Desmond Sheen

Desmond Sheen DFC & Bar (2 October 1917 – June 2001) was an Australian flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with at least five aerial victories.

From Sydney, Sheen joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1936 and transferred to the RAF the following year. He was serving with No. 72 Squadron at the time of the outbreak of the Second World War. He claimed early aerial victories flying operations over England in 1939 and more followed in the Battle of Britain. Wounded on 5 September he did not return to operations until mid-October. He commanded No. 72 Squadron from April to October 1941 during its service in the Circus offensive. Much of the remainder of his war service was spent as commander of various RAF stations around the United Kingdom. He was a staff officer at RAF headquarters in the Middle East when the war ended. He returned to civilian life for a few years but rejoined the RAF in 1950, serving until his retirement in January 1971 as a group captain. Subsequently employed in the aviation industry, he died in 2001, aged 83.